Hello…Shovelhead! Proves Weird is Funny

The camera focuses in on Brett Dodenhoff, MCAS ‘17, a tall, bearded BC student, sitting at a kitchen table. In a strange, but identifiable European accent, he begins sharing the story of his youth—an attempt to swim from his home country to Hawaii. The scene switches to Dodenhoff by the reservoir. With his voice still playing in the background, Dodenhoff begins to undress while smoking a pipe. As he prepares to take the plunge, the scene switches back to the kitchen table—Dodenhoff’s journey has led him to become a chef specializing in provocative foods.

This first scene of Hello…Shovelhead!’s digital short is just a taste of their style of comedy—quirky, offbeat, and exceptionally entertaining. Just ask the hordes of student fans that enthusiastically showed up to the Saturday show at 10:30. They laughed heartily and cheered loudly, some even bringing posters for their favorite cast members.

One sketch featured a mortician Dora the Explorer, played by junior Caroline Merritt. She asked for audience participation to help figure out which one of the objects in her backpack was a scalpel. The sketch ended with a cameo from Swiper, the famed organ thief (“Swiper no swiping!”).

Another sketch showed an absurd take on The Vagina Monologues, with participants describing their genitalia as “Lyndon B. Johnson” and “Selma, Alabama,” to name a few examples. Another featured senior Casey McLaughlin performing an interpretive dance at a funeral.

The Shovelhead style of comedy certainly isn’t politically correct, and their unique genre may not be for everyone, but the boisterous student crowd seemed to absolutely love it. The audience hooted and hollered all night, with individuals taking special care to make their voices heard when friends went on stage.

The final sketch bore resemblance to SNL’s infamous “more cowbell” sketch, set in a recording studio with an eccentric band. The lead singer, Sean McShane, MCAS ‘19, was clad in a see-through tank top and sported fake blood on his hands. The whole band performed cockney accents which gave the initial impression of punk bad boys. But their counterculture music told a different story. “I don’t like to eat my vegetables,” sang McShane in a baby voice, closing out the night on a high note.